Seventy-Thbird Year EDrTED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSrrY F MicGA UNDER AUTHORiTY OF BOARD i CONTROVL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONI "Where Opinions Are FreeSTUDENT P uCATIONS BDG., ANN ARBOR, Mici., PHONE No 2-3241 Truth Will Prevanl" Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers Take Issue with Sasaki's Stand ESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1963. NIGHT EDITOR: MARILYN KORAL Lewis Uses Committee As Delay Tactic NICE-PRESIDENT for Student Affairs James A. Lewis has latched on to he opportunity to forestall final ap- royal or veto of the Student Govern- vent Council motion entitled "Member- hip Selection in Student Organizations." This opportunity was provided when is advisory Committee on Referral de- lared a "stay" Monday on the motion nly hours before the deadline of his Lght to veto or approve. This stay will, a effect, give Lewis almost a month to ome to a decision. N HIS UNWILLINGNESS to state even whether he intended to veto or accept hae motion, Lewis has declared himself nwilling to make a decision on a docu- aent after almost a year's formulation. In his unwillingness to accept the mo- on as soon as it passed, Lewis opened he door for an unnecessary and delay- ag action on the motion which once gain casts doubt on SGC's authority to ratch over student membership selec- on practices. In his unwillingness to take a stand, ewis should be strongly condemned by oth students and Regents for failing to et when action was called for. NDEED, THE administration has been stalling against the formation of an dequate membership regulations state- tent since 1949. At that time, the facul- r-student Committee on Student Affairs equired that no group could be recog- ized if their membership selection was ased on race, color or religion. As Lewis ims up the current administration posi- on, "there is no need to act too hastily." What is particularly annoying about he vice-president's behavior is his deci- on to take a stand of "no comment until hear more" when he has been informed iany times what the objections are and o doubt realizes that the referral com- ilttee's objections have previously been ised and satisfactorily answered. N DECLARING the "stay," Referral Committee Chairman Prof. Joseph Kal- nbach noted mainly his committee's esre for a more thorough perusal of the ocument-particularly the membership ibunal clauses. } He was specifically questioning the roposed composition of the membership 'ibunal whereby two student members ad a third person will be chosen by ouncil. This set-up will make possible ie appointment of a faculty member to lis post, a possible violation of the Coun- 1 plan which states that Council may ly appoint "student committees." "HE REFERRAL, committee's entrance into the motion's consideration is cer- tainly its right and privilege under the Council plan. However, its tremendous concern might more aptly have been ex- pressed at any of the Council meetings this year when the motion was being formulated. At the same time, the committee must and probably does recognize that Lewis' original motion established a tribunal with one member a faculty person ap- pointed by the University Senate. In addi- tion, the current proposal is clearly un-, derstood to mean that Council can only recommend the appointment of a faculty member to its tribunal-the faculty body to which the request was made would obviously have to approve the recom- mendation. A SECOND objection to the adopted motion has also been raised-as it was during the formulation of the motion- by the attorney for 11'campus sororities, Lawrence Smith. In representing these sororities, who are contesting Council's right to watch over membership selection in any man- ner, Smith's latest action was a request by mail for the stay. The lawyer also reiterated his appeal for a Lewis veto and asked generally for more time to in- vestigate the final motion. - The lawyer's appeal for more time is, at this stage of the membership game, a de- laying tactic which should never have been considered. As SGC President Thomas Brown observed, the lawyers haven't introduced a new objection to what is fundamentally the same mem- bership motion in over a year. The result of both objections-by com- mittee and lawyer-is only a delay. THE POINT HERE is the attitude of Lewis. In short, Lewis has little justification for ever allowing the "stay" to be called. He wrote the original working papers from which the final motion was drafted. Council also approved a long list of cor- rections and objections submitted by his Office of Student Affairs in the formu- lation of the final motion. The referral committee's only concrete objection to the proposal-the composi- tion of the membership tribunal-is over- ridden by Lewis' belief that students do have the right to request the appoint- ment of faculty members to the tribunal. HAVING WRITTEN most of the motion and realizing that objections to it have been answered, Lewis has made an unwise decision in letting the referral committee put off what ultimately must be approval. -LAURENCE KIRSHBAJM To the Editor: EDWIN F. SASAKI'S letter, in the Oct. 8 Daily, is a dis- gusting, confused mixture of in- tolerance ,ignorance and racism, indistinguishable in content from the ravings of fanatics in the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society. It is dogmatic and ignorant to assert that all Americans are sup- posed to support the Christian religion. This Medieval absolutism is incompatible with the entire development of liberal democracy which Sasaki claims to identify with. Of course, Sasaki alters standard definitions of democracy. Loyalty to the principles of de- mocracy, for him, would have been violated if people had protested, even by picketing, against the atrocities the Japanese-Americans were subjected to in World War II. * * * THE MAIN THRUST of his let- ter, however, is aimed at those Negroes who will not adhere to the projected values of Sasaki's Amer- ican society. He says Negroes are not actively working to prove that theywant Americancitizenship, and the few who are are counter- balanced by the militant rabble, who will picket and se other techniques to assert their rights. Sasaki's fairy tale of the Negro's complete individual responsibility for his plight shows a total lack of comprehension of the condition of the Negro in America. Ever since Negroes were imported to this country from Africa to work as slaves, their economic, political, social and cultural heritage has been inferior to the white man's. Negro per capita income is less than 60 per cent of white per capita income; most Negroes in the South can't register to vote; if they try, they are in danger of being killed by terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Ne- groes have been crowded into housing ghettoes with standards of sanitation that most Univer- sity students couldn't conceive of. Negro schools are not as good as most white schools; the teachers are often inferior, and seldom dedicated. THE NEGRO didn't put himself in this position. He was brought to this country forcefully, by the slave-trade barons, and upon en- trance was forced to assume a second-class position in society. A few very fortunate people, mostly "Uncle Toms," have escaped this condition of inferiority, but most Negroes know that if they try to register to vote, move into a better neighborhood, enter a "high-class" establishment, try to crack the "last-hired, first fired" barrier in jobs, or otherwise try to raise their status, they are likely to meet with violence. The Negro has waited 400 years for democracy to havq some mean- ing to him. He has learned, from the efforts of Booker T. Washing- ton, an educater who was a ben- eficiary of white philanthropy, that a passive campaign for so- cial acceptance will not help his race. It may win acceptance for a few individuals, but not for very many. Up until now, the Negro has been the victim of lynchings (over 3000 between 1880 and 1915) and other forms of treatment to which he has not raised a hand in pro- test, except on rare occasions. He has seen that even when the Su- preme Court declares segregation in schools illegal, little is done to end it. He has also seen that since he began to adopt measures such as picketing, he has had increased access to stores, schools, churches and transportation facilities. He realizes that only by forms of active protest, can he get better jobs and education for all mem- bers of his race, rather than for a small number, who are put there by the white power structure to be a symbol of hope for the rest. He is beginning to learn that violence against his race must be met by self-defense. If the police and FBI can't defend him, he will have to defend himself. He will antagonize a lot of people in get- ting these gains, but for him popularity isn't the important thing. Survival is. Being able to get enough food to eat, a decent place to live, and clothes to wear. Why should he move more slowly if it means putting up any longer with the subhuman conditions he is experiencing? SASAKI'S COMMENT about the NAACP is libelous; it is undocu- mented and untrue. The Direct Action Committee's militancy has gained jobs for. Negroes at three A&P stores, and at Kline's. Sasa- ki's irresponsible and dangerous letter cannot be distinguished from the statements of a frus- trated racist. -Charles Thomas, Jr. --Howard Salita, '65 flow Long? ... To the Editor: WHAT REALLY evokes despair and not anger among Negroes is the superficial, condescending judgment by another minority group person. From his self- appointed pedestal he rightfully and proudly proclaims the tri- umphs of his people to gain poli- * ** WELL, JUST HOW LONG do we have to live, work and die for this country before we prove our- selves worthy and after three cen- turies? Then how do we prove our- selves worthy in the eyes of an- other minority who says they have been better Americans. Better still, how long do we have to re- ceive this kind of goody-goody, pious brainwashed thinking? * * * IT SEEMS TO ME that the real and vital issue has been sorely neglected. That being the recogni- and an historically conditioned economic and practical sense. * * * THE NEGRO does not have the above mentioned advantages. He was brought out of one primitive environment and placed into an- other. Domestic insecurity, sexual insecurity, racial self-contempt, apathy, pessimism, distrust, social isolation, and hostility have been conditioned in most systematically. This so-called "minority" problem is quite different from the more superficial variety. I am not quite sure if Sasaki "Christian," as it will not come from DAC-like demonstrations. It will come by rationally executed demonstrations which provide the Negro with identity and purpose within the American framework. -David B. Cohen, Grad Unfortunate.. .. To the Editor: j HAVE JUST READ a most un- fortunate letter written by Ed- win F. Sasaki in which he gives "the solution" to the racial issue "We're Sure Overcoming That Old Reputation Of Being The Colossus Of The North" f S ,. ti_ ;yr. y . rn C' Z I/ ' i Y ^ M t . ,, 3%n's r a > ,x \ x 1 l /l f O ro0-10, I r"" , ! !' ' 41 .1 x S' y ty irr MtA ZZ. -MOM " ."''FF . iti. tree t ' a a' V R d: y .. , ~ * - , ? ,. " .i: ^_ J: /y , t y . ," rt ;.,,.. S.ii;LJ:: n a l i_ .t3':'' FJ .". ' .+ 'Lw w ^ 'tf'\.'1' 'i' i .Ji i{.., a .' "'.y: t^,pia..'y ;4 h.r. s"{ix. .a.: v;.{ kgrtM d>' .. ,.Se N,C.s If 4 beg against insurmountable odds for 300 years. * * * I AGREE that there are already established societal customs, mores standards of conduct, etc. but a cursory examination of any news- paper will reveal that these are "dished out" to Negroes on spe- cial plates, usually from the back door. This partioning of rights is not American and is therefore not wanted by Negroes. Mr. Sasaki seems to belong to that group which now finds it comfortable to do some "dishing out." Recently removed from the same barrel with the other minori- ties, he can now assume a kind of benevolent attitude which dictates "the way out." About his remarks concerning DAC and the NAACP, I only ask two questions of him: 1)rHave any Negroes who could afford to pur- chase certain properties ever been refused the right to do so on the basis of color? 2) Have any quali- fied Negro applicants been reject- ed for employment on the basis of color? Would you consider these "fakes," Mr. Sasaki? AS ONE READS articles such as yours and others similar, one im- mediately senses the inequities existing in our democracy. Con- comitantly, one senses the need for some type of organized protest for the amelioration of these de- plorable conditions. There are only 18 million grievances represented by about 5 "pressure groups." Is it not reasonable then that one would see a broad spectrum of political attitudes? If not then this democracy is a failure. Finally, just what does the Ne- gro want? I will tell you what I want: I want to help create the America in which all of its citi- zens are looked upon simply as Americans no more, no less. What ever rights, privileges, immunities, and not as gifts or hand outs. Then what ever comes to me in- dividually as another American Is mine to enjoy and to be judged by. -Singer A. Buchanon, Grad Concern... To the Editor: EVEN THOUGH we've both been at the University several years now, we've always been struck by the indifference and apathy shown by the students. Imagine our as- tonishment when we saw close to a thousand students marching cross-campus last Sunday even- ing. At first we thought it might be one of those peace rallies or civil rights marches. But then we dis- covered it had to do with an issue of much greater importance, and of" far-reaching implications-the University's football team. * * * IT WAS GOOD to see the stu- dents showing concern over some- thing which is quickly becoming a national problem-the University's football team! It was inspiring to hear no snickering in a crowd of such proportion over a problem of such extreme seriousness-the University's football team! Tl voice of the student body literally awoke the populace of Ann Arbor with their enthusiasm over this noble cause-the University's foot- ball team! * * * WE WALKED AWAY from the rally with peace in .our hearts, overjoyed by the fact that the students were finally voicing their opinions, but this was tempered by the fear that they might be sway- ed from their ultimate goal by participation in minor movements on campus. -Steve Doehrman, '63 -Rusty Peterson, Grad T j; 1 i , } ,' I bl M i r Vote 'No' on Referendum VOTERS SHOULD cast a "No" ballot in today's referendum. The referendum calls for direct elec- ion, in the all-campus regular spring lections, of the president and executive vice-president of Student Government ,ouncil. At the risk of sounding anti-libertarian ind overly pessimistic, I would say that his is a power which the voters should iot assume and, in fact, which they are iot capable of assuming. .jOST VOTERS now--today at the polls --know very little about the candi- lates. Perhaps a few voters have heard candidate speak once or have read a hort statement of his platform. Perhaps a voter knows only that a ertain organization with whom he is, tsually in agreement has endorsed the andidate. At any rate, the information oters have on a candidate is at best ketchy and limited. However, direct election of Council nembers is an evil which must be en- lured if we are to continue to play our retend game of representative Student .overnment Council. But there is little ense in extending it, V EXECUTIVE officer of SGC must be someone with whom the other mem- ers of Council feel they can work. He aust be chosen by those who know him est since these are the people who must rork in close contact with him and under its direction. The voters cannot deter- nine this. Only the Council members can. Furthermore, there is a very great dan- er that direct election of the executives ould become a glorified popularity con- est. SGC's Committee on Student Con- ~:jG Sid ,w % tt . ..r .r. v .s.. v. . v . . ana v .s.a.a cerns idealistically writes in its proposal' that "For the first time a student will be able to vote directly for the man he wish- es to represent him as student body pres- ident, and the men who are to direct Council activity." OFTEN IN Council elections the most qualified people are not elected; rather it is the people with most voter appeal that cop the vote. If a glamor boy does win, it will be a situation that SGC and not the voter will have to live with. If an unqualified person wins, especially one lacking knowledge of parliamentary procedures, SGC will lose. The voter most likely will not be affected. The, entire concept of student body president is unfeasible. Council is not a representative group. How can it be when it knows little about what its constitu- tents are thinking? Furthermore, since it does not legislate over its constitutents but merely voices what it assumes to be their opinions (although, to be fair, at times it does attempt to gather informa- tion on these opinions), Council does not have constitutents in the real sense. N0. CANDIDATE running has a platform significantly different from any other candidate so that the voter may distin- guish between candidates as may be done in a national election. Thus, the idea that the president of SGC will be under a general mandate to the campus is rather ill-formed. Exactly what will he be accountable to the campus for? The committee statement says that "Their policies, actions, and effectiveness as officers-not just Council members- will be subject to general debate and student control." This optimism is highly doubtful since few students care enough to debate any of Council's actions. As for controlling the officers, it is as pos- sible to control a president or vice-presi- tion that no minority group is truly free, first class or "accept- able" until all groups are free. The sooner that this basic reality is grasped by all minority groups, the swifter meaningful freedom will come. And it will not be given to special minority groups because they showed proper behavior or achievement. It will come because this free- dom was claimed and fought for instead of waiting for it to drop out of the sky in payment for honoring the status quo. It is just common sense that freedom and political and social equality never came wrapped as a gift. * * * IN ADDITION, it seems in- credibly naive to culminate such a discussion with the golden rifle. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." One ques- tion: Do you know many white persons who would walk in the shoes they fashioned for minority groups in America? -Andrea J. Smith, Grad Unrealistic . . To the Editor: I FEEL I must take issue with Edwin F. Sasaki, whose letter appeared in the Oct. 8 issue of The Daily. In brief, Sasaki's point was that, rather than react im- morally to the immorality of dis- crimination, the Negro must tran- scend his nature, be a better Amer- ican and citizen, and, following the Christian religion ("which all Americans are supposed to sup- port"), love his enemy as he would love his friend. This simple, unrealistic and al- most primitively Christian solu- tion 'to a most complicated prob- lem disregards complex and inter- related historical, economic and psychological facts. * * * IT IS grossly inaccurate to equate the problems of the Negro "minority" with those of the other minorities. Yes, the Japanese were severely restricted during the Second World War, but they were a proud people with an essential cohesiveness as a particular sub- group with strong ethnic ties. The Chinese have been discrim- inated against, but have won re- spect because they respect them- selves and because their achieve- ments are based on a tradition of domestic cohesiveness and con- temporary and historical identity. understands morality when he im- plied that, not only the Direct Ac- tion Committee, but all demon- strations are immoral, and that the Negro should turn the other check. Morality is relative, flexible,'and ethical. Sasaki's; formulation is unrealistic, unnatural and essen- tially unethical. It avoids the basic issue that even if we were able to break into the vicious circle of poor performancel and social and vocational isolation, tlie Negro would remain unacceptable to many "Christian" Americans. (By the way, Sasaki's statement that begins: "The Christian religion which all Americans are supposed to support .. ." is highly off en- sive, and another example of how he distorts and over-simplifies a complicated problem.) * w * * b REFORM will not come by being in America. I only hope there are not many that one could count among his followers. It gives me no pleasure to respond to his statements. I only wish Mr. Sasaki's status in America was what he thinks it is-just an American. If this were true, then the plight of the Negro would be greatly enhanced and much more hopeful as there would undeniably be less appre- hension about human rights than most Negroes feel today. I do not honestly feel that the position of the Japanese-American- is one of envy to the Negro or to any other minority (including most Japanese) in America. Mr. Sasaki seems terribly unaware of this fact. He also seems unaware of the long and fruitless struggles and pleading of the Negro. What has he done but wait, work and NATIONAL STUDENT CONGRESS: USNSA Delegates Grow Up- 'z (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the last in a series of articles by Uni- versity students who attended the Sixteenth National Student Congress last summer at Indiana University. Sherry Miller is a member of Stu- dent Government Council.) By SHERRY MILLER Daily Guest Writer IF MODERATION can be taken as a sign of maturity, the United States National Student Association is growing up. As evi- denced at the 16th National Stu- dent Congress, delegates will no longer accept emotion and rhetoric instead of logic and facts. No longer will they be forced to one pole or the other by the strong attraction of well-articulat- ed philosophies but will stand firm on their own somewhat prag- matic grounds. This does not mean they are confused or uninformed. They simply do not accept at face value the polemics of either ex- treme; where they do lack back- ground, they weigh and balance the opinions aising from the ex- perience of others. Perhaps I am attributing too much to the average NSC dele- gate. But either by fortuitous se- lection of delegates or wise stra- tegy on the part of the national which are the proper concern of students. Of course, the national staff plays an increasingly vital role in all of these areas as more and more ' expertise is required, es-. pecially in international affairs. There is already a move to in- crease the number of area special- ists with whatever funds can be obtained. But if the National Su- pervisory Board (created as part of the constitutional reforms of the last congress) is effective, there should be no divergence be- tween the legislative and admin- istrative branches of USNSA. The national office is responsible for carrying out specific programs mandated to it by the full con- gress. THIS SHOULD NOT imply that USNSA is neglecting its work on a local level. A constitutional re- form increases personnel working with specific programs on local campuses, and regional programs are preserved-of course, there are specific programs such as Euro- pean Travel, Incorporated. The effectiveness of any of these programs can be doubted, espe- cially the regional programs which involve schools with practically government leaders gains as a re- sult of his participation in the congress and the closer working relationship with delegates from his own school. * * * STILL, THE NSC demonstrated that USNSA is in the process of growing. Delegates still spend more time discussing in seminars than hammering, out the work of the association. They still spend far too much time haggling over the semantics of resolutions, which in my opinion are of secondary importance, useful only for pres- sure group and public relations activity. They still do not give enough consideration to the bills they are passing, though often they cannot because of the secretarial problems of getting them typed in time, and their factual background is at best limited. They still tend to ignore "little" problems, which can be so important to groups involved, in their anxiety to debate the larger issues. The outstanding ex- ception to this was the program mandate on higher education for the American deaf, which passed only because a determined group pushed it. * * * I